Indian red lentil soup

Rinse lentils thoroughly under running water or in a bowl, changing the liquid several times. Ideally, the water should be clear.

Place in a saucepan. Add water, finely chopped tomatoes and salt. Do not put on fire yet.

Instead of water, sometimes vegetable broth is taken to make the taste of the soup even richer. But this is optional.

Chop the onion, ginger and chili finely.

If you want to reduce the pungency of the soup, remove the seeds from the pepper.

Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Fry for about 10 seconds.

Reduce heat slightly. Add ginger and chili and cook for another 20 seconds.

Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. The vegetable should be lightly browned and tender.

Add the asafoetida, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and cloves to the skillet and stir.

Transfer the entire contents of the frying pan to the pan to the lentils and stir.

Bring to a boil. Salt. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

The lentils should be very soft, and the soup itself should become thick.

Drizzle with lime juice before serving and garnish with chopped cilantro.